Ichi Details

A twist on the Zatoichi legend...

Ichi (Haruka Ayase) is a young blind woman who roams from town to town in search of her father who left her family when she was still young. When a group of men from the feared Banki Gang try to attack Ichi a wandering ronin Touma Fuijihira (Takao Osawa) steps in to defend her. Despite Ichi being the one to slay the men with her formidable sword skills, Touma claims the victory and a nearby village hires him as bodyguard for the village head. Ichi says nothing and goes her own way but soon the pair is reunited as the Banki Gang seeks revenge.

The Zatoichi franchise is one of the most popular and endearing in Japan, with the films of the 60’s and 70’s starring the legendary Shintaru Katsu being in the forefront of most people’s minds, and the 2003 update starring the equally legendary “Beat” Takeshi Kitano. Ichi revives the franchise but with a twist, this time having the lead role of the blind but highly skilled swordsperson being female.

No doubt many balked at the idea of the cantankerous and mischievous anti-hero being altered for a female to play the role, resulting in a missing dynamic from the character. This is true but what this adaptation affords is something that wasn’t present before: sympathy. Being blind made Ichi an open target for men to take advantage of, but the sword skills she learned from her father (who was also blind) meant there were some very sorry men left in her wake. Even with her impaired vision proving to be of little hindrance for her, Ichi does come across a little too drippy at times whereas her male counterparts used this to help project their personalities further. The ribald humour synonymous with the Zatoichi character (largely in the Katsu films) is also absent, resulting in a more serious film. Touma then is left to provide the testosterone although he too is a flawed character, unable to draw his sword after inadvertently blinding his mother in a childhood accident.

Haruka Ayase is very convincing portraying a blind woman but with a character who conveys little else other than sadness and insularity, there is little room for personality or depth. There are a few obvious nods towards Kitano’s Zatoichi in during the fight sequences during which Ayase handles herself very well. Takao Osawa is very entertaining as Touma but the exaggerated, cartoon villain style performance from the usually reliable Shido Nakamura as the Banki Gang leader is downright embarrassing. Thankfully the film is beautifully shot, the soundtrack is haunting and the fight scenes are superb so Nakamura’s hideous performance is easily overlooked.

Ichi takes a popular franchise and spins it on its head. If fans can rid themselves of any prejudices towards a female Zatoichi then there is a decent, good looking little film to be enjoyed here.